@article{fdi:010073602,
  title = {{I}mpact of surface soil moisture variations on radar altimetry echoes at {K}u and {K}a bands in semi-arid areas},
  author = {{F}atras, {C}. and {B}orderies, {P}. and {F}rappart, {F}. and {M}ougin, {E}. and {B}lumstein, {D}. and {N}ino, {F}ernando},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{R}adar altimetry provides information on the topography of the {E}arth surface. {I}t is commonly used for the monitoring not only sea surface height but also ice sheets topography and inland water levels. {T}he radar altimetry backscattering coefficient, which depends on surface roughness and water content, can be related to surface properties such as surface soil moisture content. {I}n this study, the influence of surface soil moisture on the radar altimetry echo and backscattering coefficient is analyzed over semi-arid areas. {A} semi-empirical model of the soil's complex dielectric permittivity that takes into account that small-scale roughness and large-scale topography was developed to simulate the radar echoes. {I}t was validated using waveforms acquired at {K}u and {K}a-bands by {ENVISAT} {RA}-2 and {SARAL} {A}lti{K}a respectively over several sites in {M}ali. {C}orrelation coefficients ranging from 0.66 to 0.94 at {K}u-band and from 0.27 to 0.96 at {K}a-band were found. {T}he increase in surface soil moisture from 0.02 to 0.4 (i. e., the typical range of variations in semi-arid areas) increase the backscattering from 10 to 15 d{B} between the core of the dry and the maximum of the rainy seasons.},
  keywords = {radar altimetry ; waveform ; dielectric permittivity ; soil moisture ; {MALI} ; {SAHEL} ; {AFRIQUE} {DE} {L}'{OUEST} ; {ZONE} {SEMIARIDE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{R}emote {S}ensing},
  volume = {10},
  numero = {4},
  pages = {art. 582 [23 p.]},
  ISSN = {2072-4292},
  year = {2018},
  DOI = {10.3390/rs10040582},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010073602},
}